Straight Outta Hazelwood is a series of profiles written by Andrea Coleman, a lifelong Hazelwood resident and founder of the Garden of Different Abilities.
By Andrea Coleman and Bill Muldoon
Andrea Coleman
After living in and growing up in Hazelwood, and now in my later years, I have found myself saying, “I ain’t been around the world, but I been around the block.”
Then I met Bill Muldoon, who came “straight outta Hazelwood.” Bill has shared so much with me as I have followed his journey around the world with his gifts of art and journalism. Here are some of Bill’s words to share with you all in the Greater Hazelwood Community.
William G. “Bill” Muldoon
Parents: William J. and Evelyn McGrogan Muldoon
Hazelwood is my foundation. Everything I've accomplished in life has been built on my Hazelwood foundation. Born at Pittsburgh's Mercy Hospital in 1953, I was brought home to the house built by my great grandfather in the 1890's. This was home until 1976 when my parents moved to Maine.
My schooling began in 1958 in Sally Meanor's Kindergarten at Burgwin School. Then it was on to St. Stephen's School, graduating 8th grade in 1967. I attended Central Catholic High School and graduated in 1971. I graduated from Duquesne University in 1975 with a BA in Journalism.
The path from Hazelwood to Maine was long in the making. Dad first visited Maine as a teenager, brought by an uncle who loved car travel. After Dad and Mom married in 1946, Mom's sister moved to Maine with her husband who worked for the Veterans Administration. Every childhood summer saw us travel from Hazelwood to Maine. In 1976, Dad and Mom moved to Maine to be closer to her sister who was also caring for their mother.
I met my wife, Beth, on a blind date in 1982 and we were married in 1984. We have one daughter, Katie, who lives nearby here in Maine. We moved to the coastal town of Harpswell in 2010
After some post-college work in public radio, the bulk of my career was spent in investment research. At one point, I headed a global team covering companies in the industrial sector.
Now retired for almost 10 years, I serve as the board chair of Midcoast Humane, the animal welfare organization serving 39 communities in Maine's Midcoast Region.
I’m also an active road cyclist and have completed the annual Trek Across Maine 20 times. I’ve served as a board member of the Bicycle Coalition of Maine, a statewide organization advocating for bicycle and pedestrian safety. BUT here’s my one big, still unfulfilled cycling challenge: the Flowers Avenue, Kilbourne Street, Tesla Street hill. It’s like a 20% grade. It’s the final hill on Pittsburgh’s annual Dirty Dozen ride of the steepest hills in Pittsburgh. It’s at the top of my list for this summer!
I am also a photographer. In 2016, I came back to Hazelwood to photograph people who have lived their entire lives in the community. An exhibit in the fall of that year at the Hazelwood Carnegie Library was titled "Some Who Stayed" recognizing that while many moved away, and some are now moving back, there are many people who have lived their full lives in Hazelwood.
I maintain a close relationship with Hazelwood, returning each year to keep the connection alive. Although I've lived for many years in Maine, Hazelwood will always be my sturdy foundation for which I'm eternally grateful.
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